BEMIDJI — An array of tantalizing dishes simmered in chafers as a growing crowd watched BSU student Kusum KC perform a rhythmic Nepalese dance — and more tastes, sights, and sounds from around the world were on deck.

A total of 31 countries were represented Tuesday at Bemidji State University’s annual Festival of Nations, a long-running tradition that highlights international students’ cultures.

Theophile Mathius played “Sayang,” a playful Indonesian Malay love song, and “King,” a self-affirming English song.

“I chose ‘King’ because it was very encouraging,” Mathius, a credit junior from Malaysia who started at BSU last summer, said. “I think as international students, we tend to be discouraged, being far away from home, and ‘King’ is kind of like a proclamation that…you can reclaim your crown, you can stand up for yourself, you can be strong.”

The festival began with a flag procession and then segued into a series of performances like Mathius: Nepalese dances, Italian and Japanese songs, poetry readings and more.

Attendees could also peruse cultural items at a silent auction, but the main draw seemed to be the food, the line for which curled across the Beaux Arts Ballroom.

The menu included West African stew, Chinese stir-fry, Malaysian coconut rice and Brazilian chocolate bonbons.

The festival started as a “Feast of Nations” in 1969, said Rupesh Thapa, a sophomore at the university who helped organize this year’s festival and was ready to step in and read a poem if another performer couldn’t make it.

He and Mathius both said they were drawn to the Bemidji area’s lakes and other natural spaces.

“I love the scenery, I love the landscape,” Mathius said. “It’s really suitable for me.”

The festival was hosted by the university’s International Student Organization.